Animations in e-learning or e-learning animations have the power to capture the attention of learners and simplify the subject matter for better retention and recall of the learning topic. Hence there is no denial of the fact that e-learning animations are now widely used for various corporate training requirements.
If you are still thinking why, here are the key reasons for choosing e-learning animations for corporate training.
•Animations have the power to attract and capture attention because the motion is one of the primary attributes of a graphic that makes viewers take notice.
•Animations can bring emotions to the visuals and at the same time ensure that the learners can easily relate to it.
•A good animated e-learning can make the learning experience engaging and fun.
Here in this blog, I have listed down the various styles of animations that are effectively used in the various corporate training requirements.
1.Whiteboard animations
According to Wikipedia, “Whiteboard animation is a process where a creative story and a storyboard with pictures are drawn on a whiteboard by artists who record themselves during the process of their artwork”.
This style is all about drawing illustrations and is mostly done in black and white. You’ll see the hand of the illustrator’s drawing images after images on a clean white surface following a certain storyline to explain a concept/idea to you. The minimalistic design of the whiteboard style allows the audience to focus on the content and not get distracted by too many visual effects
Further, the effectiveness of the animated video can be strengthened by the careful use of narrations or the background music that enhances the learning experiences.
Whiteboard animations are relatively less expensive to develop and can be actively used as a tool to train the learners on serious and complex corporate training topics
Here at XLPro e-learning, we have developed various whiteboard animations for e-learning projects. Visit the following links to enjoy them at your convenience.
E-learning Explainer Video sample -Whiteboard style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLPgNPMuXGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSm-PIkxDp4
2.Character animation
The use of characters in the animation is not a very new concept in the domain of learning and still continues to enjoy a huge popularity among the learners and the organisation.
The modern tools allow the learner to sketch out characters or even choose the readymade ones from the library(if supported by the software).
E-learning animations with characters are my favorite as it gives a personal feel and it’s fun to watch the intricate movements and animations that make the characters lively. The use of character also aids in the visual storytelling approach.
The character animations are best used when:
•The developers wants to include a personal feel or human touch
•To replace a physical instructor or trainer, characters can be used in the animated e-learning
•If the animated e-learning requires to emotionally connect with the audience using the facial expressions, body movement etc.
•If the scenes of e-learning animations include stories, incidents from real life etc
Please find the sample of character animation style done on the topic- Business Etiquette here
3.Cartoon Style animations
Remember your famous old school cartoons like Tom and Jerry, The Pokemon etc. These cartoons were rich in the multimedia graphics and contents that helped the developers to ensure the continuous attention of the viewers. The cartoon based animation style when used in learning also includes a lot of colorful multimedia objects to help the learner better relate to the learning topic. Cartoon style of animations draws the inspiration from the character based animation style. I have felt that the use of cartoon-style animations can reduce the dullness of a learning topic by making it more fun and engaging.
These cartoon style of animations style are best if
•You want to “lighten up” a tough topic
•You want to showcase interaction between different figures
Here are two interesting samples that have used the cartoon style animation style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQcNGmzAlt0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQcNGmzAlt0
4.Silhouette animations
Silhouette animations are the animations in which the characters are only visible as black silhouettes. Wikipedia.com) . In silhouette animations, the main characters are in contrast to the background.
Silhouette animations are best when
•Narrating a story or a past incident.
•The silhouette animations will help your message stand out.
Here is a sample for Silhouette animation
https://youtu.be/hrpagJuuuqc?list=UU7H3GxcXiiLrzN8rzrJkWzA
For more information on various types of e-learning animation styles, please visit our portfolio page.
5.Kinetic Typography Animation
Kinetic typography—the technical name for “moving text” it is the combination of text and motion that are used to create amazing animation styles. If you have an explainer video filled with more of the textual content. I recommend to bring in the element of typography animation here to make the video visually appealing as well as ensuring that the attention of the learners is not lost.
Hence the kinetic typography animation style is best suited when
•You want to explain a story, like a case study
•You have a story to tell with a very clear message enhanced with beautiful fonts
Visit the following link to see the animated video that has brilliantly used the kinetic typographic style of animation to the textual contents
https://youtu.be/U8Ky3Umf4dQ?list=UU7H3GxcXiiLrzN8rzrJkWzA
6.Animated Stick Figures
Stick Figure Animations are a widespread artistic style on the Internet and are widely popular for their simplicity and ease of animation. Just as the name implies, everything will be drawn in stick figures which made it one of the most simple yet powerful animation style.
For example, I am sure that at our young ages we all drew a human by representing him/her on a stick figure. The simplicity of drawing was the major attraction of these animation styles as you could easily draw almost any elements with the stick figures.
Most stick figure animations were made using Adobe Flash and there are many modern tools which allow the advanced functions of animating the stick figures.
Here is a sample of animated e-learning video using the style of animated stick figures
https://youtu.be/lHJdf__PjoQ?list=UU7H3GxcXiiLrzN8rzrJkWzA
7.Animated Infographics
Animated Infographics (Interactive infographics) are widely popular these days. We all know that transforming data to easily digestible information is tough and with the arrival of the animated infographics it becomes more easy to ensure that the learners are able to digest the information more easily.
For example, When clicking on the particular statistic, add in some motion or zoom effect, with numbers and graphs moving around and you get an easy-to-read illustration packed with information.
Visit the following link to visit a sample that demonstrates the animated infographic style
https://youtu.be/-UvpFwXaHXc?list=UU7H3GxcXiiLrzN8rzrJkWzA
8.Screen Capture/Screencast
The screen capture animations styles is a cost-effective option to give instructions to the viewers on how to use a particular product, website, application etc. Screen capture animations help the organization to design a step by step walkthrough of a process, website application etc.
9. Stop motion animation
Stop motion animation or stop frame animation is a technique in which the animators physically manipulate objects making it look as if these objects move on their own. The objects are brought to life or animated by breaking up the figure’s motion into one single frame at a time. When the frames are stringed together the object appears to move
In your e-learning animations, stop motions animations are best
•If you want to narrate an engaging story to your learners
•Build up a concept or a physical object piece by piece
Visit the following link to visit a sample that demonstrates the stop-motion animation style to engage the learner. The short animated e-learning video narrates an engaging storyline of making pizzas.
https://youtu.be/YQkC0Qs3aD0
10.2D animation
It’s one of the most popular animated video types that exists from a very long time. Its main purpose is to create characters, storyboards, and backgrounds in two-dimensional environments. While the 3D animation styles are becoming increasingly popular, the simplicity and effectiveness of 2D animations are still a clear favorite for many of the corporate training requirements.
I recommend including 2D animations in your e-learning animations if you
•Don’t want any distractions in getting your message across
•Want a lot of freedom in styling
•Quick explainer videos
•When the budget for developing the animated e-learning video is less.
11.3D animations
There is no doubt that 3D animations have completely revolutionized the way animations are seen and enjoyed by the viewers. The visual appeal, seeing an object in the three-dimensional view etc are easily achieved by using the 3D animations. In the corporate training sector, the 3D animations are very useful in explaining complex topics where the working of different elements can be easily shown effectively shown in 3-dimensional view.
Use 3D animations if
•You want to showcase a physical product/ prototype
•Explain a process, structure, dimensional concept
12.Motion graphics animation
If you need to translate a complicated or complex learning topic into a simple one, but you are confused to know what kind of animation style to choose, then I recommend to include the motion graphics animation style
Motion graphics is a style of animation which explains concepts through moving graphic elements and text. In other words, it can bring the motion and emotions to the graphic elements used. The style is very engaging and useful for simplifying and explaining complex concepts.
13.Live Action + Animation
Relatively a new e-learning animation style which combines real videos recorded with a camera and the animated elements are added at a later stage. The people in the video are seen interacting with the animation which makes the final effect even more interesting.
Use live Action + Animation in your e-learning animated video to
•Create authenticity of information as the animated e-learning video uses real human character or face.
Here is a sample link of animated e-learning video using the style of Live Action + Animation
https://youtu.be/VxfGuZ5Bsgk
For more information on various types of e-learning animation styles, please visit our portfolio page.
